Open YouTube Studio
Go to studio.youtube.com and sign in to the channel that owns the video.
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How-to · Updated September 19, 2026
How to Add Tags to a YouTube Video
Tags are available in YouTube Studio's advanced video details. You can add them during upload or edit them on a published video, but YouTube says they play only a minimal role in discovery outside common misspellings.
For an uploaded video
The five steps in YouTube Studio
Choose Content
Select Content in the left menu, then choose the uploaded video you want to edit.
Open advanced details
On the video details page, select Show more to reveal the Tags field.
Add only relevant tags
Enter accurate topic terms, proper names, acronyms, or common misspellings that genuinely describe the video. Commas separate tags.
Save the changes
Select Save. You can return to the same details page to change or remove tags later.
During a new upload
Use More options in Details
Select Create → Upload video, choose the file, then open More options in the Details section. Add the tags there before you finish the upload flow.
What to enter
Use a small, accurate set
- Use the exact subject, product, person, place, or event covered in the video.
- Add a real acronym, alternate spelling, or common misspelling when viewers may search for it.
- Skip unrelated trending terms. They do not describe the video and can mislead viewers.
- Keep tag strings in the Tags field. YouTube warns that excessive tags in a description violate its spam policies.
Spend optimization time on the title, thumbnail, and description first. YouTube explicitly names those as more important discovery metadata.
The free YouTube tag generator can produce a draft set from your topic. Review every result and remove anything the video does not actually cover. New to tags? Start with what YouTube tags are.
Primary sources
Source trail
FAQ
Where do you add tags on YouTube?
For an uploaded video, use YouTube Studio → Content → select the video → Show more → Tags. During a new upload, open More options in the Details section.
Can you add tags after publishing?
Yes. YouTube's official instructions allow you to open an uploaded video in Studio, add or edit tags, and save the details without uploading the video again.
Do tags make a video rank?
YouTube says titles, thumbnails, and descriptions are more important for discovery. Tags can help when a topic is commonly misspelled, but otherwise play a minimal role.
What is the YouTube tag limit?
The YouTube Data API documents a 500-character maximum for the complete tag list, including separators and extra counting rules for tags with spaces. Relevance matters more than filling the field.